


「 reminiscene 」

by orphan_account



Category: Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns
Genre: 600 words and less, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: a retelling of the tower scene in the way i prefer.





	「 reminiscene 」

❝ιт’ѕ σиє тнιиg тσ gєт ℓσѕт, вυт ιт’ѕ αиσтнєя тнιиg тσ gєт ℓσѕт ιи α fσяєѕт σf gяєєи -

ιf уσυ gєт wнαт ι мєαи.❞

~ 

A cacophony of sound shatters the silence, eliciting a rumble that seems to rise up from the very core of the earth. The three companions freeze, but then two of them are spurred into action, as if they have been set ablaze. The third is so still that she could’ve been a statue, her face a canvas of wide eyes clouding over with panic and fear and apprehensive features. As the great tower begins to plummet to the earth like a stone, the decadently dressed feline rushes forward, pinning the girl against a crumbling pillar to protect her as they descend into the very depths of Hell. His companion digs her fingers into the ivory lapels of his cream-colored coat, tightening her grip as she shuts her eyes tightly.

As she buries her head into his chest, his arms wrap tighter around her as if he is holding someone made of smoke, and that she could disappear at any moment. Paralyzing fear builds up brick by brick inside her, and the immediate response is to panic, but she swallows down the rising bile of terror and reminds herself to stay calm and pray that everything will turn in her favor.

The swooping sensation in her stomach that forms as they’re falling taunts her and brings her to the reality that they might not survive this, and because of that revelation, she forces herself to be drawn closer into his sheltering embrace, and relish in those last few moments. They are ghosts trapped in a mortal sleeve, forever destined to be apart of a tear in the void, and somewhere far away, the girl can hear the second companion’s screaming, so unlike the calm of the anthropomorphic feline she’s come to call her friend. 

His quiet is tranquil, and it’s like he’s already welcomed Death’s unfolding wings with open arms, greeting him like an old friend - like he craves for the icy grip of Death’s claws to entrap his throat like a noose and slowly crush his windpipe, to watch him choke on the chaos known as life. It’s like he’s been waiting for this moment for years, and with the realization that it’s finally happening, he can finally breathe again. His head is no longer underwater. 

She soon realizes that he’s not anticipating Death, but that he knows they’ll survive. Hope swells in her chest, unfurling like the petals of a flower, and consumes her just as the tower crashes down in an explosion of brick and mortar, and as the dust settles, she sucks in a breath, realizing that she had been holding her breath.

When her pounding heart has finally steadied, she gathers enough courage to open her eyes, and the first thing she sees is the startling green of his eyes. They were the kind of green that brings life back to the earth after a long and unforgiving cold, that revives the world from the harsh conditions of winter - a promise of new growth and new beginnings. They were the kind of eyes that took her breath away, and just as quickly as she has regained her breath, it is stolen from her just as quickly, but this time she doesn’t mind. 

“Thank you,” she stammers, tripping over her own words, and her cheeks warm. 

He takes a fluid step back, and bows low at the waist, every movement languid. 

“Of course, Miss Haru,” he says, voice as smooth as velvet.


End file.
